~Do you remember the Country Boys Market with its wooden floors? Walter Smiths was the place to go for clothes on the Fulton Mall. Penny Candy had great blacklight posters and don't forget Whitie's Pet Store on Blackstone. What vintage retail do you remember growing up in Fresno?~

I always went to the Arthur's on the Fulton Mall. Every Christmas my dad would give me a hundred dollar bill and turn me loose in the store. I only remember two of those Christmas shopping sprees though. One was in '79 (or '80) when I bought a ton of Shogun Warriors (Dragun, Great Mazinger, Godzilla and Rodan) and the other was in '82 when I nearly cleaned the place out of Star Wars action figures. If only I'd kept those toys. Amazing how much they go for on ebay and Amazon nowadays in good condition. Oh well, I had great fun with them. And I bought plenty of electric trains from the Fulton Arthur's upstairs area.

My older cousin was the manager at one time for Arthur's. I remember I went to work for him when I was in high school, probably 1982-85. I first started at the Tulare location, then worked at times on Blackstone but most often at the Fulton Mall store. My job was assembling bicycles! Fun memories, testing riding bikes in the Fulton Mall location basement swerving around the support posts while Madonna's crazy for you played on the little radio that I had down there.

My grandfather, Al Ormsbee owned Arthur's Toys and sold it in the late 70's I believe. My father Brent was the manager at the Tulare and Chestnut store, my mother Marilu was the manager of the doll department, and I helped out as a little girl wherever I could. I used to love riding the motorized bikes/scooters around the store after we closed. I couldn't of had it any better, growing up in a toy store! Great memories made at Arthur's Toys!

*Note from admin: Newspaper clipping added from the Fresno Bee in 1973 showing two locations for Arthur's Toy Stores.

I remember so many times going into Arthur's Toy Store, at 1017 Fulton Avenue, before the mall was created. There were so many neat toys and models there. I'd save my 10 cents per week allowance (in the '50s), and go in and buy what I thought were huge models. There was one of the ocean liner SS United States, which was almost 3 feet long. I REALLY wanted that one, and saved until I had the $10 needed for it. It was on the top of the main bookshelf in the living room for decades after. Later on, Arthur's moved to N. Blackstone, and then became Arthur's Stools and Counters, or something like that.

I too remember Arthurs on Fulton street. My mom bought me a metal walking robot there with lighted eyes and swinging arms, that fell over every third step. I grew up on Mono street a block from Chestnut St. and Kings Canyon Rd. I seem to remember Arthurs was located at Tulare and Chestnut at one time,in the old Safeway market. I left Fresno in 1968 for the military and don't remember the N. Blackstone location. Of course at my age I am finding out that I don't remember a lot of things.

I remember Arthur's on Blackstone south of Barstow, where Whitey's Pet Shop took over. It was sad to see the aisles at Arthur's, which were once packed with an interesting assortment of toys, become comparatively bare near the end. I have a vague memory of another Arthur's, but I was very young. I also remember a TV commercial touting both Arthur's and another toy store called Cameron's, but I have no recollection of the latter at all. Does anyone else know where/when Cameron's operated?